Zach Palansky admits he wasn't expecting this kind of season.

He was a relief pitcher most of his recent baseball career, including on his high school team and on last year's Northern Valley Legion team.This year he earned a starting spot in Northern Valley's rotation and has been the team's top pitcher all summer. He is among the league leaders in every statistical category in the Lehigh Valley Legion.He was recently named the LVL co-Player of the Week for a solid performance at the end of last month."I was pretty excited," Palansky said of earning the recognition. "I try to throw as many strikes as I can and let the defense make plays. Our defense has been superb all year."In the last week of June Palansky threw 14 innings for the Chargers, earning two wins while giving up just nine hits and one earned run. He struck out 16 and walked two during that stretch.Through July 2 Palanksy was among the league leaders in ERA (third, 1.36), WHIP (fourth, .89), wins (second, 5), strikeouts (third, 30) and innings pitched (fourth, 36).And he's doing it despite the fact that he hadn't faced a batter since last year's legion season."It is surprising how well I'm throwing," he said.Palansky, a 2011 Northern Lehigh graduate, goes to the University of West Virginia. He plans to try out as a walk-on this fall, but during his freshman year he didn't play baseball. He threw around with friends at school and practiced at batting cages last summer. That was his preparation for this summer's legion season. And it seems to have worked perfectly.Palansky throws five pitches - at two-seam fastball, a four-seam fastball, a change up, a curve and a sinker."The curve has been my dominant pitch this year," he said.He can throw up to 83 miles an hour, but he's working on getting up to the high 80s, which is the velocity he'll need to make the team at college.On a talented high school staff, Palansky only threw around eight innings in his senior season with the Bulldogs.He didn't have much experience as a starter before this year, but has performed as well as anyone on his team or in his league.When Chargers head coach Brad Rauch referred to him as the team's ace a few games into the season, it meant a lot."I was never an ace before on any team," Palanksy said.